Wear ring mounting on blast-furnace bell rod



Aug. 11, 1964 c. STECKLE 3,144,145-

WEAR RING MOUNTING on BLAST-FURNACE BELL ROD Filed March 20, 1963 INVENTOR CHARLES STEC/(LE MfM Affomey United States Patent ty, Pa., assignor to United States Steel Corporation, a

corporation of New Jersey Filed Mar. 20, 1963, Ser. No. 266,681 2 Claims. (Cl. 214-36) a The present invention relates generally to blast furnace construction and, more particularly, to an improved wear ring mounting arrangement for the small-bell rod of a blast furnace.

As is well known, the small-bell rod of a blast furnace extends vertically through the revolving hopper and receiving hopper of the furnace and is conventionally provided with removable wear rings along its length to protect it from abrasive action of the raw materials charged into the furnace. The rings are made of abrasive-resistant metal such as high chrome cast iron and are usually formed from two semi-circular interlocking segments, each weighing about fifty pounds. Approximately thirty rings are used on a normal small-bell rod.

Prior to my invention, the rings were assembled on the rod stacked one upon the other starting at the bottom of the rod. When the rings were removed from the rod the procedure had to be reversed; i.e., the rings were disassembled and removed from the rod singly starting at the top and working down since disassembly of each ring required axial movement of one segment thereof relative to the other. This arrangement presented no problem when the rings were initially installed or when it was necessary to replace all of the wear rings at one time. However, rings located in certain areas along the length of the rod required replacement at more frequent intervals than others, and the replacement of only one or of only a portion of the total number of rings on the rod did present a problem. For example, the rings on the lower end of the rod are usually subjected to more intense and concentrated abrasive action by the raw materials charged into the furnace. Consequently, these rings wear faster and have to be replaced more often than rings located further up along the bell rod. Prior to my invention, befor these worn rings could be replaced, it was necessary to remove from the rod, starting at the top thereof, every ring until the lowermost worn ring was reached and replaced. This excessively time-consuming and costly procedure was necessary due to the fact that the rings were supported one on the other and substantial clearance was required above each ring to effect removal of the interlocked segments thereof from the rod. Other than the bell on the bottom end of the rod which supported the bottom ring, there was no vertical support for the rings along the length of rod except the rings themselves.

I propose to eliminate the foregoing disadvantages by providing, and it is the primary object of my invention to provide, a wear ring mounting arrangement for a blast furnace bell rod whereby the wear rings are arranged on the rod in two or more series, each series being supported independently of the other so that only the rings of the series in which a ring is to be replaced need be removed to effect such replacement.

This and other objects will become more apparent after referring to the following specification and attached drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view partly in section of the upper portion of a blast furnace showing three series of wear rings mounted on the small-bell rod of the furnace in accordance with my invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged partial vertical sectional view showing the locking arrangement of the wear ring mounting of the invention;

3,144,145 Patented Aug. 11, 1964 FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged partial elevational view with the locking ring and keys removed showing partial assembly ofthe uppermost wear ring of a series.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, reference numeral 2 designates a blast-furnace small bell located in the bottom of a revolving hopper 4 which in turn is located below a receiving hopper 6. Normally, raw materials are charged into the receiving hopper by a skip car (not shown), and the raw materials pass from the receiving hopper into the revolving hopper which is rotated part of a full turn to distribute the materials evenly on the large bell (not shown) of the furnace when they are discharged from the bottom of the revolving hopper. The small bell 2 is lowered from the bottom of the revolving hopper 4 by means of a hollow, split rod 8 to discharge raw materials from the hopper. A large-bell rod 12 which supports the large bell (not shown) of the furnace passes upwardly through the small-bell rod 8.

The small-bell rod 8 is attached at its lower end to the small bell 2 and extends upwardly therefrom through the revolving hopper 4 and the receiving hopper 6. Rod 8 is encased in a plurality of removable superimposed wear rings 10, each of which is formed from two semi-circular interlocking segments 14 and 16, as best shown in FIGURE 4.

The wear rings 10 on the rod 8 are divided into an upper series 18, an intermediate series 19 and a lower series 20 by supporting rings 22 and locking rings 24. The supporting rings 22, each of which may be of the split type for convenience in installation, are welded to the rod 8 and support the upper and intermediate series 18 and 19 of the wear rings 10. The locking rings 24 are each assembled from two semi-circular segments and are fitted around the rod 8, one immediately subjacent each of the supporting rings 22. The segments of each of the locking rings 24 are removably keyed to the adjacent supporting rings 22 by lock keys 26 which extend tangentially on opposite sides of rod 8 in suitable mating keyways formed in the supporting rings 22 and locking rings 24, as best shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. If necessary, shims 28 may be inserted between the locking rings 24 and the top wear rings 10 of the intermediate and lower series 19 and 20 to obtain a relatively tight fit between the wear rings of the lower and intermediate series. Shims 28 can also be inserted between the two upper wear rings of the intermediate and lower series if necessary.

When being initially installed, the wear rings 10 of the upper series 18 are assembled on the rod 8 in normal manner, but starting at the upper supporting ring 22 and working upwardly to the upper end of the rod. The wear rings of the intermediate series 19 are then assembled on the rod 8 starting at the lower supporting ring 22 and working upwardly toward the upper supporting ring 22. After the uppermost wear ring 10 of the intermediate series has been fitted on the rod 8, sufficient space remains between the upper supporting ring 22 and the uppermost wear ring of the intermediate series to accommodate the upper locking ring 24 which is then fitted around the rod and keyed to the upper supporting ring as explained above. The wear rings of the lower series 20 are installed in the same manner as the wear rings of the intermediate series starting at the bottom of the rod and working upwardly toward the lower supporting ring.

Subsequently, when a wear ring 10 of the lower series 20 requires replacement, the lock keys 26 are removed from the lower supporting ring and lower locking ring and the two segments of the latter are removed from around the rod 8. Then, starting with the uppermost wear ring 10 of the lower series, the wear rings of the lower series can be removed sequentially one at a time until the wear ring requiring replacement is reached. Removal of the locking ring 24 provides the space necessary to permit disengagement of the segments of and removal of the uppermost wear ring of the lower series and subsequent removal of other wear rings of the lower series necessary to reach the ring to be replaced. Wear rings of the intermediate series can be replaced in like manner.

Although I have shown the Wear rings 10 divided into three separately supported series, it will be understood that they can be divided into more or less than three series in accordance with the invention, if desired.

While one embodiment of my invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent that other adaptations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the following claims. I

I claim:

.1. The combination with a blast-furnace bell rod of an upper and lower series of wear rings fitted around said rod, each of said rings including at least two detachably interlocked segments, a supporting ring rigidly fastened to said rod between said upper and lower series of Wear rings, and a split locking ring detachably fitted around said rod between said supporting ring and said lower series of wear rings, said locking ring being adapted, when removed from said rod, to provide an annular space between said supporting ring and said lower series of wear rings whereby the segments of the wear rings of said lower series can be removed from said rod in consecutive order from the top to the bottom of said lower series.

2. The combination as defined by claim 1 in which said locking ring is detachably secured to said support ring.

No references cited. 

1. THE COMBINATION WITH A BLAST-FURNACE BELL ROD OF AN UPPER AND LOWER SERIES OF WEAR RINGS FITTED AROUND SAID ROD, EACH OF SAID RINGS INCLUDING AT LEAST TWO DETACHABLY INTERLOCKED SEGMENTS, A SUPPORTING RING RIGIDLY FASTENED TO SAID ROD BETWEEN SAID UPPER AND LOWER SERIES OF WEAR RINGS, AND A SPLIT LOCKING RING DETACHABLY FITTED AROUND SAID ROD BETWEEN SAID SUPPORTING RING AND SAID LOWER SERIES OF WEAR RINGS, SAID LOCKING RING BEING ADAPTED, WHEN REMOVED FROM SAID ROD, TO PROVIDE AN ANNULAR SPACE BETWEEN SAID SUP- 